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Overshot deadlines and projections are never easy to stomach, especially when large investments of money, and reputations, are at stake. With the year’s end rapidly closing in, Danish company ECOmove is applying a tonic of humility and optimism to the soon-to-be-missed 2012 launch of its Qbeak electric vehicle.

The company, started in 2009, said in March of this year it intended to have the prototype of its lightweight, electric powertrain vehicle, the Qbeak, ready to launch in 2012. However, ECOmove recently announced a third, more updated version of its city car, and that the prototype will closely resemble the final product.

In a statement, CEO Mogens Løkke said the company is “convinced that the first Qbeak will be ready to leave the factory in 2014.”

Mixed in with the announcement of the latest version of the prototype, the company acknowledged it came up short in a bid to launch the car this year, citing long lead times as a major hurdle.

The current Qbeak prototype now has a charging structure and instrumentation, and overall is developed enough that company is ready to move toward production.

Speaking to Gizmag.com Løkke said the company will announce details on the car’s battery at a later time. “However, I can confirm that the system for simple battery swap-outs is integrated and will support more different power module systems (we are working on a fuel cell system),” stated Løkke.

“The smartphone integration is progressing and is still to be implemented in the Qbeak III,” he added. “We will soon demonstrate an intelligent sound alert system as an option for warning pedestrians. We are performing simulations for crash but are planning to run some destructive tests soon.”

ECOmove also said it is seeking strategic partnerships in manufacturing and supply chain management to ensure a smooth transition to mass-producing the Qbeak. The company says it’s currently in discussions with foreign and domestic companies that will be able to assemble and deliver cars for the major markets such as Europe, America and Asia, including China.